Kenji Fukuda facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kenji Fukuda
福田 健二

Personal information
Full name	Kenji Fukuda
Date of birth	(1977-10-21) October 21, 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth	Niihama, Ehime, Japan
Height	1.78 m
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1993–1995	Narashino High School
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–2001	Nagoya Grampus Eight	114	(37)
2001–2003	FC Tokyo	32	(3)
2003	Vegalta Sendai	10	(0)
2004	Guaraní	36	(10)
2005	Pachuca Juniors	21	(12)
2005	Irapuato	19	(10)
2006	Castellón	17	(2)
2006–2007	Numancia	39	(10)
2007–2008	Las Palmas	15	(3)
2008–2009	Ionikos	24	(9)
2010–2012	Ehime FC	65	(8)
2013–2016	Metro Gallery	58	(30)
Total		450	(134)
National team
1997	Japan U-20	4	(1)
Honours Nagoya Grampus Eight Runner-up J1 League 1996 Winner Emperor's Cup 1999
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Kenji Fukuda (福田 健二, Fukuda Kenji, born October 21, 1977) is a former Japanese football player. He was known for being a left-footed forward, which means he mostly used his left foot to kick the ball and score goals!

Playing for Clubs

Kenji Fukuda started his professional football journey in 1996. He joined a team called Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan's top league, the J1 League.

Early Career in Japan

• From 1997, Kenji started playing in many matches for Nagoya Grampus Eight.
• By 1998, he became a regular player, meaning he was often in the starting lineup.
• He helped his team win the Sanwa Bank Cup in 1997.
• In 1999, his team won the 1999 Emperor's Cup, which is a big football tournament in Japan.
• They also came in second place in the 1996–97 Asian Cup Winners' Cup, an important Asian club competition.
• After 2000, Kenji didn't get to play as much for Nagoya Grampus Eight.
• He then moved to FC Tokyo in August 2001 and later to Vegalta Sendai in August 2003.

Playing Abroad

• In 2004, Kenji decided to play football in other countries.
• He moved to Paraguay and joined Guaraní. He played his first game there in February.
• Starting in 2005, Kenji played for many different clubs around the world.
• He played for teams like Pachuca Juniors and Irapuato in Mexico.
• He also played for Castellón, Numancia, and Las Palmas in Spain.
• In August 2008, he moved to Greece to play for Ionikos FC.

Return to Japan and Retirement

• In September 2009, Kenji returned to Japan.
• He signed with his local team, Ehime FC.
• He started playing for Ehime FC in the 2010 season and was even the team captain that year.
• He played for Ehime FC until the end of the 2012 season.
• In 2013, Kenji moved to Hong Kong.
• He joined Yokohama FC Hong Kong, which later changed its name to Metro Gallery.
• He played for this club until June 2016, when he decided to retire from professional football.

National Team Career

Kenji Fukuda also represented Japan in football at a younger age.

• He was part of the Japan U-20 national team.
• In 1997, he played in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, which was held in Malaysia.
• During this tournament, he scored a goal against the Costa Rica team in the group stage.
• His team made it to the quarter-finals of the championship before being eliminated.